Streaming Media - December 2007/January 2008 - (Page 66) So, why bother with Silverlight? For casual Windows Media producers, Silverlight lets you easily create a custom player for your video that integrates more neatly into your webpages. It also allows Macintosh viewers to play Windows Media video files more easily, and this should soon extend to Linux. Even if you don’t make the switch to Silverlight, there are several valid reasons for Windows Media producers to consider Expression Encoder. For example, Expression Encoder can import QuickTime files, which is great if you’re producing in Compressor, After Effects, or Premiere Pro on the Mac. The Expression Encoder can batch encode multiple files, and it is compatible with compression acceleration co-processors from Tarari. As we’ll see, the A/B comparison tool for assessing compressed quality is very robust, and the Expression Encoder has deinterlacing that actually works. Overall, it’s a lot more straightforward than the Windows Media Encoder, which is dowdy and has a frustratingly roundabout workflow. But as we mentioned, the Expression Encoder does not produce multiple bitrate files. Even more surprising, it doesn’t support the advanced encoding options made available in the Windows Media Format SDK 11. Sure, the Expression Encoder supports command line encoding that implements those options, and it will respond to registry key changes invoked via the WMV9 PowerToy discussed at www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp? id=9659&page=1&c=8 and available at www.citizenin somniac.com/WMV. However, given that this is the first major encoding tool release after the SDK 11 release, I would have expected Microsoft to drink its own Kool-Aid and support the advanced parameters directly. soon to be removed), so it’s easy to download and even update the wrong application (not that I did, of course). You don’t want the Expression Media Encoder; the name has been shortened to Expression Encoder. You’ll know you have the wrong product if your interlaced source video doesn’t get deinterlaced during encoding. If you’d like to customize your player templates, you’ll need Expression Blend 2, not the version of Expression Blend that ships with the initial version of Expression Studio, making it easy to start using the wrong application (not that I did, of course). You’ll know you have the wrong version if you get an error message when attempting to import the project file produced by Expression Encoder. To view the files you produce, you’ll need the Silverlight plug-in, which worked well for me on both Mac (Safari and Firefox) and Windows. Your browser should tell you that you need the plug-in. It’s about 1.8MB for Windows, but it's 4.6MB for the Mac because that contains both PowerPC and Intel players. With all of this as background, let’s dive in. express yourself The Interface Expression Encoder has an attractive, flexible interface with three basic components (Figure 1). On top is the Viewer pane, where you can view your media and preview compression. As you would expect, the Viewer pane has a number of transport controls, including Play/Pause, jump to next marker, and the like. You can also use your keyboard’s arrow keys to navigate through the video, a convenient, professional touch that comes in handy when setting markers and script commands. Just beneath the transport controls, you’ll see two buttons on the extreme left- and right-hand sides. The Leader button on the left lets you insert a video before the imported video, while the button on the right lets you insert a trailer after the imported video. Beneath the transport controls is the Media Content panel, which lists all imported videos and their current compressed status. Note that you can load multiple files Figure 1 (far left). Expression Encoder in all its glory What You’ll Need Here I’m reviewing the 1.0.2905 version of the Expression Encoder. Note that Microsoft still had previous beta versions and updates to those betas on its website when I wrote this article (though, reportedly, they were Figure 2 (near left). Presets that ship with Expression Encoder. 66 STREAMING MEDIA December 2007/January 2008 http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=9659&page=1&c=8 http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=9659&page=1&c=8 http://www.citizeninsomniac.com/WMV http://www.citizeninsomniac.com/WMV
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